Folding-machine



(No Model.) 4 sheets-sheet 1. D- APPEL.

FOLDING MACHINE.

" No. 340,080. Patented Apr. 20. 1886.

N, uns Pholo-Lilhogmphcr. Washington. n. c.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

D. APPEL.

FOLDING MACHINE.

No. 340,080. Patented Apr. 20, 1886.

:nmmunnggmmmmnml Illllllllllllllllllll k4 llllllllllllllll gillllllllllllllllflfilllllllllllllllllll-T HI lm. n W V 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OEETQE.

DANIEL APPEL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION PAPER BAG MACHINE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,080, dated April 20, 1886.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL APPEL, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Folding-Machines, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to a folding mechanism which is capacitated to impart three parallel transverse folds, said mechanism being adapted to operate upon a continuous web to sever the same into sheets of the proper length, 1 and then fold the sheets as stated, or to operate upon detached sheets fed to it by hand or otherwise.

The mechanism constituting the present invention can be employed in any case where it is desired to impart three parallel transverse folds to a web or sheet, but is especially adapted to impart the three parallel folds necessary in the formation of paper bags having bellows or infolded bottomssuch, for example, as the 2 bag shown in United States Letters Patent No.

155,610 or No. 296,117.

The invention is therefore in the present case shown as embodied in a mechanism of suitable form for folding the bottoms of belo lows-bottomed bags.

As a full understanding of the invention can be best imparted by a detailed description of the construction and operation of the mechanism in which itis embodied, all further pre- 3 5 liminary description will be omitted and a full description given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure l is an end elevation of a mechanism embodying the invention in a form capable of operating upon a continuous web to sever the same into short lengths or bag-blanks and impart thereto the three parallel transverse folds for the formation of the bellows-bottom. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, parts being 5 broken away to expose the mechanism for operating the severing-blade and one of the tuck ing-blades. Figs. 3 to 6 are crosssections of the cutting and folding rolls, showing the parts in different positions, to illustrate the operation of the mechanism. Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the folding mechanism when constructed to operate only upon detached blanks. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same. Figs. 9 to 13 are cross-sections of the folding-rolls, showing the parts in different positions, to illustrate the operation of the mechanism; and Figs. 14. and 15 are diagrams which will be hereinafter referred to.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it is to be understood that the folding mech- 6o anism therein shown consists, primarily, of fou r rolls or cylinders, A B O D, which are supported in a suitable frame-work, and are provided with engaging gears a b c d, by which they are caused to turn in unison and in the 6 direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. These rolls are arranged so that their axes occupy nearly the four corners of a square and so as to form three cooperating pairs, the rolls A B forming one pair, the rolls B 0 another pair, and the rolls 0 D another pair. The rolls A D are, however, separated a short distauce, as will be observed, so that they do not cooperate direct-1y. a

The roll A is provided with a tucking'blade, 9, and a severing-blade, 8, which blades are located in recesses 12, formed in the roll, and are secured at their ends, which project beyond the ends of the rolls to a pair of heads, 10, which are mounted upon a rock-shaft, 11, 8o journaled in the roll or upon studs extending from the ends of the roll, so as to be capable of oscillating freely to project the blades beyond or retract them within the periphery of the roll. One of the heads 10 is provided with a yoke, 13, which embraces an eccentric, 14, formed on the hub of a gear, 15, which is mounted to turn freely on the shaft 16 of the roll A, and is engaged by a gear, 17, fixed on the shaft of the roll B. The gear 17 is of one- 9c half the size of the gear 15, from which it results that the eccentric 14 is caused to make only one revolution to each two revolutions of the rolls, thereby rocking the yoke 13 and heads 10 in one direction on one revolution of 5 the rolls and in the opposite direction on the next revolution. This causes the blades 8 the blade 8 to sever the web, in the usual man ner, whenever the blade is projected so as to enter the groove. The roll Bis also provided with agroove, 6, which is so positioned as to cooperate with the blade 9 and receive the fold-line of the paper whenever the blade is projected so as to enter the groove. The groove 6, instead of being formed directly in the periphery of the roll, will preferably be formed in a piece, 5, of rubber or other slightly yielding material, set into the roll, as shown. v

The roll 0, like the roll B, is provided with a groove, 2, formed in a piece, 3, set into the roll, and the roll D is provided with a co-operating tucking-blade,4,similar to the blade 9, except that it is fixed in the roll so as to always remain in its projected position.

The roll D, which simply forms a carrier for the blade 4,is cut away, except at its ends, so as to be out of nipping contact with the roll 0. In fact the blade 4,instead of being carried by a roll,may be carried upon a pair of disks or arms secured to the shaft 18.

The. rolls AB and O D are so timed with relation to each other that the blade 9 and groove 6 and the blade 4 and groove 2 will come into position to co-operate with each other simultaneously.

The operation of the mechanism thus constructed is as follows: The web 20, led from the roll E or from any other source, will have its leading end entered between the rollsA B, just in the rear of the blade 8, upon the revolution of the rolls, when the blade is in its projected position. If the bag tobe produced is to be of the character shown in the Letters Patent No. 296,117, the edges of the web will have been previously folded inward to the proper extent, while, if the bag to be produced is to be of the character shown in the Letters Patent No. 155,610, the web will be entered between the rolls in a flat condition. In either case the edges of the Web will be provided with suitable lines of paste for forming the side seams of the bag and the roll A; or, if necessary, the rolls A B C may be provided with circumferential grooves to prevent the roll or rolls from coming into contact with and becoming smeared by the paste. As the rolls A B continue their revolution, the tucking-blade 9 and the groove 6 will come into position to oo-operate, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; but the blade, being at this time in its retracted position, will not enter the'groove, and the end of the web will consequently continue to be advanced by the rolls, and will pass downward in'the space between the rolls 0 D. When the rolls have completed their first revolution, and brought the blade 8 and groove 7 into position to cooperate, the eccentric 14 will have completed one-half a revolution and have rocked the yoke 13 and heads 10, so as to retract the blade 8 and project the blade 9, so that when the blade 9 and groove 6 again come into position to co-operate,the blade will tuck the web into the groove, as shown in Fig. 4, and at the same time that this takes place the blade 4, which. has also come-intoposition to operate, will tuck the web into the groove 2, as also shown in said-figure. As the rolls continue their revolution, the portions of the web tucked into the grooves 6 2 will be carried around upon the rolls .B G, as shown in Fig.6, thus making the two transverse folds m n, as shown in Fig. 14. As the rolls continue their revolution from thispoint, the portion of the web between the folds m n will pass between the rolls B O and be folded at its center, thus making the third transverse fold, o, and forming the bag-bottom. When the rolls have completed their second revolution fromthe point of starting, the eccentric 14 will have completed its first revolution, so that when the blade 8 and groove 7 again come into position to co-operate the blade will be again projected,

so as to enter the groove and sever the first bag-length from the web, after which the freshly-cut end of the web will be fed forward 'by the rolls A B and pass downward between the rolls 0 D, and the operation will be repeated.

From the foregoing it will beobserved that the distance from the leading end of theweb to the fold m is just equal to the circumference of one of the rolls less the distance between the blades 8 9, and that the distance from the fold it to the point of severance is the same,

from which it results that the sidesp q of the bag are of equal length, as shown in Fig. 14.

If it should be desired to operate upon detached sheets or bag-blanks, instead of upon a continuous-web, the sheets will be fed to. the apparatus so that their leading ends will enter between the rolls A B, just in the rear of the blade 8, when said blade is in its projected position; or the blade 8 may be omitted, the

sheets being fed to the apparatus so that their leading ends will enter between the rolls at the proper point and time.

Figs. 7 to 13 illustrate an organization of the apparatus which is especially adapted to operate upon detached sheets or blanks. In

this case the blade 9 is made stationary in the roll A, the same as the blade 4, and the a'pparatus is provided with a suitably-arranged feed-table, F, and with a series of guides or fingers, 25, for guiding the ends of the sheets therefrom into the bite of the rolls A B.

The operation of the apparatus, when organized in this manner, is substantially the same as already described. from the table F has its leading end entered distance (the distance depending upon the length of the sheet or blank) in the rear of the blade 9, as shown in Fig. 9, after which itis fed between the rolls 0 D, as shown in Fig. 10. As the blades 9 4 come into operation, the blank is tucked into the grooves 6 2, as shown in Fig. 7, after'which the two foldlines are carried toward each other and brought together, and the folding completed by the rolls B C, as shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13.

-1 2c The sheet or blank fed into the bite of the rolls A B at the proper 1' By making the rolls A B G D of proper size with relation to the length of the sheet, the distance between the blades 9 4, when they are in the position shown in Figs. 4 and 7, and consequently the distance between the folds m a, may be made equal to one-half the length of the sheet, thus causing the fold 0 to be at the middle of the length of the sheet, and the folds m n half-way between the fold 0 and the ends of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 15. When the apparatus is thus organized, it will be well adapted for. folding newspapers and other printed sheets.

In conclusion, it is to be remarked that the details of the apparatus hereinbefore described may be varied considerably without departing from the essential features of the invention.

In the organization shown in Figs. 1 to 6 the tucking and severing blades 8 9, instead of being operated by an eccentric, may be operated by a cam or cams or by any other means suit-able for the purpose. So, also, the tucking-blade 4, instead of being stationary in its carrier, may be made movable, if preferred. Although the simple grooves 2 6, particularly if they are formed in elastic pieces set into the rolls, will in most cases be found sufficient to retain the fold-lines of the paper and cause it to be carried around with the roll B 0, yet if in any case it should be found necessary or desirable to cause the rolls to take a more positive hold upon the paper, they may be provided in place of the grooves with nipping'jaws, into the bite of which the paper will be tuckedby the blades 4 9. Such jaws may be of any of the well-known forms, and are to be considered as the equivalent of the grooves for this purpose; or the rolls B C may be provided with sheet-hoiding pins arranged to impale the paper upon the fold-lines, and cause it to be carried around upon the rolls. In such case the blades 4 9 would be omit-ted, and the rolls or carriers A D would be arranged so as to simply present or hold the paper in position to be taken by the pins, and such an arrangement of impaling-pins is also to be considered as the equivalent of the grooves for this purpose.

Vhen a continuous web is operated upon, the severing of the web into sheets or blanks may be effected before it enters between the rolls A B, and in such case the roll A would not be provided with the blade 8. The feeding forward of the sheet, instead of being offected by the rolls A B, may be effected by suitable feeding mechanism arranged to act upon the web or sheet before it arrives at these rolls. In such case the roll A would simply serve as a carrier for the blade 9 or the blades 8 9, and might be cut away, so as to not run in nipping-contact with the roll B, or the blade or blades might be carried by a pair of disks or arms mounted upon the shaft 16.

The rolls B C may be provided with suitable tapes or cords, arranged in the common and well-known manner, to strip the folded portions m 12 out of the grooves 2 6 or the jaws, or from the pins, and conduct the product away from the rolls; or stationary strippingfingers, the ends of which restin circumferential grooves formed in the rolls, may be provided for this purpose.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the rollsBO, provided with devices for takingand holding the web or sheet upon the fold-lines m n, of the rolls or carriers A D, equipped to present the web or sheet in position to be taken by the holding devices upon the rolls A 0, all substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the rolls B O,provided with means for taking and holding the web or sheet upon the foldlines m n, of the rolls or carriers A D, provided with the tucking-blades 4 9, all substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the rolls B O,provided with means for taking and holding the web or sheet upon the fold-lines m n, of the rolls or carriers A D, provided with the tucking-blades 4 9 and the severing-blade 8, all substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the rolls B G,having the grooves 2 6, of the rolls or carriers A D, having the tucking-blades 4 9, all substantiall y as described.

5. The combination, with the rolls B C,having the grooves 2 6, of the rolls or carriers A D, having the tucking-blades 4 9 and the severing-blade 8, all substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the rolls B 0, provided with means for taking and holding the web or sheet upon the fold-lines m n, of the roll or carrier A, having the moving tuckingblade 9 and severing-blade, and the roll or carrier D, having the tucking-blade 4, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL APPEL.

WVitnesses:

T. H. PALMER, GEO. H. GRAHAM. 

